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Professor Steve Cowley appointed Fellow of the Royal Society | 01/05/2014

Professor Steve Cowley, Head of Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE) and CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society, Britain's national academy of science.

He is one of only 50 scientists to be chosen for this year's Fellowship. Considered to be the pinnacle of achievement in science, the Fellowship is made up of the most eminent scientists and technologists from the UK and the Commonwealth, including around 80 Nobel Laureates. Winners are chosen for their scientific achievements and elected by existing Fellows.

Professor Cowley's award is in recognition of his outstanding contributions to nuclear fusion research, which aims to copy the fusion of atoms that takes place in the core of the Sun for a new source of energy in the power stations of the future. His career as a fusion physicist has spanned spells at Culham, Princeton University, University of California Los Angeles and Imperial College London, before his appointment as Head of CCFE in 2008. As well as heading the UK fusion research programme at Culham, Professor Cowley is a part-time professor at Imperial College, London. He is also one of the Prime Minister's scientific advisers as a member of the Council for Science and Technology.

Steve Cowley follows in the footsteps of other Culham scientists to have received the award, most recently Jack Connor in 2010. The citation refers to his “leading role in developing the multi-scale approach to computing the plasma turbulence in fusion experiments…(which) will be central to the successful development of fusion power.”

Professor Cowley, who will be admitted to the Fellowship at a ceremony in July, said: “I am honoured, delighted and frankly overawed to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. It has been my privilege to work with many exceptional scientists – especially at Culham – who, like me, wish to make fusion power a reality. This award recognises all of our work.”

Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society, said: “Science helps us to better understand ourselves and the natural world on which we depend. Building scientific knowledge helps us face some of the planet's biggest challenges such as food shortages, climate change and tackling disease. These scientists who have been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society have already contributed much to the scientific endeavour, whether that is in academia, industry or government.”